Community-spirited Peter puts people first
His ties to the community are deep and committed.
EVERYONE on the mid-South Coast is familiar with the name Peter Fielding, mainly thanks to how much this Scottburgh resident has done for the community.
What many don’t really know however is just how much Peter has accomplished over the years, and why he is so dedicated to helping those in need.
ALSO READ : Take a trip down memory lane at Scottburgh Classic Car Show
The Mail sat down for a chat with him recently, and was able to get a more in-depth look at the man behind the name.
Peter emigrated to South Africa from London in 1968.
He lived in Johannesburg for some time where he met and married Val, with whom he shares two sons and four grandchildren.
In 2001 Peter retired and moved down to Scottburgh with his wife, two dogs (two more were introduced to the family later) and five cars.
He founded the Scottburgh Classic Car Club in 2007.
The club is most famous for arranging the annual Scottburgh Classic Car Show, a highlight on the local calendar for a decade and which raised funds for 19 local charities. .
But this was not the start of Peter’s involvement in the community.
“While living in Gauteng in the 1990s I was the resources director for the Randpark Ridge Residents’ Association, formed to fight crime in our suburb,” he said.
“Then when we moved to Scottburgh, I became aware of the great needs within this community.”
About seven years ago, he founded the ‘Families-In-Need’ ministry which feeds desperate families in Amandawe when funds are available.
Peter also started the ‘Breadsealers for Wheelchairs’ initiative in Scottburgh in 2009, a project he has handed over to the Methodist Church in St. Winifreds, Warner Beach.
He now runs ‘Peter’s Reconditioned Wheelchairs’, which collects old or broken wheelchairs, reconditions them and donates them to the disabled.
So far, he has managed to give away nearly 100 wheelchairs, with the vast majority going to recipients in Amandawe, where he works closely with a number of Department of Health caregivers.
“I feel that my greatest achievement was helping the now late Raymond Ngcobo, a bed-ridden and totally disabled man from Gandhinagar, to walk again,” said Peter.
Peter initially gave Raymond a wheelchair to use after he contracted tuberculosis which left his legs paralysed.
In time, he arranged to have special shoes made for Raymond and provided him with crutches which enabled him to slowly begin walking again.
One of the other things Peter is very involved in is fund-raising.
Through local media, he was able to raise funds to purchase specialised wheelchairs worth thousands of rands for locals Jenny Filmalter and Shayne Fannin.
He attends the Scottburgh Methodist Church where he helps with both fund-raising and music (he is a talented guitarist and singer and forms part of the band ‘4’s Company’).
Peter also has an interest in entomology and is currently the treasurer for Four Paws and a Tale Rescue Centre.
The recipient of several community awards, Peter’s accolades include the Scottburgh Lions Citizen of the Year Award in 2012 and he is particularly proud of being named a Paul Harris Fellow by the Scottburgh Rotary Club even though he is not a member of either service club.
He also received a commendation from the South African Red Cross Society.
“It is only in these twilight years that I have come to realise how blessed I have been throughout my life.
“Therefore it’s now ‘pay back’ time and so I try to help as many people as I can within the time available,” explained Peter.
“The joy of giving and helping others has resulted in one of the most fulfilling times of my life.”
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